Intel G965 with GMA X3000 Integrated Graphics

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Most users who are into performance-oriented systems avoid integrated graphics like the plague. The latest round of integrated graphics cores from AMD, Nvidia, and Intel have all gotten better, but better is a relative term. Compared even with low-end discrete graphics cards, integrated graphics lacks punch. The new Intel G965 chipset, with its GMA X3000 graphics core, is no exception to this pattern.

Still, building a system with integrated graphics sometimes makes sense. Obviously, cost is one factor; if you don’t have to buy a discrete graphics card, that’s a savings of around $50 or more. Other factors are power and heat. Leaving out the discrete graphics card reduces the overall power load at idle, and even when doing graphics-intensive chores like rendering. If a system is primarily going to be used for light duty office work, then graphics built into the chipset may be just fine.

There’s also the issue of the two V’s: Vista and video. There’s no reason an integrated graphics core can’t handle video playback, provided that the circuitry is there to give the CPU an assist. And Vista, with its Aero interface, introduces a whole new wrinkle: Can an integrated graphics core run Vista Aero respectably?

As we saw with AMD’s recent 690G chipset, it is possible for an integrated core to run Vista Aero respectably. And AMD’s new solution is compatible with all the games we’ve thrown at it, though we can also say that overall performance is fairly limited. Can Intel muster enough performance and quality to compete with AMD’s latest push into the entry-level platform race? We tested the new chipset on an Intel G965WH motherboard to find out. Continued…